As seniors look to leave home, Patricia Marroquin is excited to stay put
Senior Patricia Marroquin is kind and thoughtful, thanks to the farms she has grown up on.
She started loving goats at her father’s ranch in El Salvador, and now they are building a small farm here in Durham.
“Animals can really change your perspective on everything around you,” she said. “Animals, especially my goats, have made me value life more and I want to return the favor. I would like to study to become a veterinarian somewhere in my future. Also because my goat is pregnant, I will be caring for the baby goats after I graduate.”
As many seniors wait anxiously to find out what their future holds, Marroquin is embracing the uncertainty. “I’m excited for what my future will bring for me but I’m also young and in no pressure to make concrete choices,” she said. “We all obviously want a path that will lead us to a stable job but quarantine taught me that I want to live in the moment and stop overthinking my future.”
Marroquin says her teachers have been like second parents to her. One of those teachers, Emily Ericson, has had her for both creative writing and English this year.
“Patricia is truly one of the best humans,” Ericson said. “I’ve so enjoyed her honesty and the way she shows up. This young woman is so compassionate, and kind, and understanding, and patient, and considerate.”
